Finland joins the diplomatic boycott of FIFA 2018 World Cup

Wednesday, June 13, 2018 1:00:30 PM

Finnish authorities decided to join the diplomatic boycott of the World Cup that begins in Russia on June 14. According to the Ambassador of Ukraine in Helsinki, Andrii Olefirov, the first persons of the state will not be present at the matches.

"The top leadership of Finland will not participate in the championship. It is not my merit but it is a matter of common sense. Everyone goes about their work,” the diplomat wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, June 12. Olefirov also urged Ukrainian citizens to boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Earlier, it was reported that Australia announced a diplomatic boycott of the World Cup in Russia. The officials of Britain, Iceland, Poland, Sweden, Australia, Japan, and Denmark are planning to join the boycott. In addition, according to media reports, at the meeting of the European Parliament on June 14, a resolution on the diplomatic boycott of the 2018 World Cup can be adopted.

The FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018. The matches will be held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, and Sochi.